r/peacecorps

Had my interview yesterday, got me excited, but it's got me thinking about life after service.

My Background: early career, digital marketing, actually building solid momentum right now. Up for a Business Development/Community Economic Facilitator role. I am also living abroad and if I leave and do the Peace Corps, I won't have the option visa wise to return to the EU.

My logic: I'll always have the option to sit at a desk and build a marketing career. I won't always have the option to do this aka I'm healthy, unattached, early enough that two years doesn't torch anything. And declining now isn't neutral, it can hurt future chances.

What I don't have a read on: the other side...If you came from a corporate/business background, how hard was re-entry? Did employers actually value the RPCV experience, or did you have to translate it hard on a resume? Anyone pivot into adjacent fields (dev work, nonprofit, social impact) instead of going back to corporate? Did it feel like falling behind, or did it end up working in your favor?

That's a lot of questions I know. I feel like these are things to be thought about though. Not trying to talk myself out of it, just want real accounts before I let a good interview high make the decision for me. Thanks to all! :-)

So let’s just say I’m working on the clearance process and it is not going smooth 😭😭 I’m going for vacation on Friday and I’ve had THREE of my fingerprinting appointments canceled and I’m very scared that I’m not gonna be able to get this done in time…

Additionally, I’m working on the mental health form, and I don’t know how to talk about my previous mental health in a way that doesn’t get me disqualified. I was on antidepressants when I was 18 (nothing serious, just situational stuff) and I’ve been in counseling over the last year, but I don’t really know how to explain that I have been off the antidepressants and doing well for over 2 years and that the counseling is more so for life advice kinda stuff.

Any help is appreciated :-)

Hi everyone!

I am considering to serve in Paraguay as a PCR! woo hoooo

I'd be super curious of anyones experience and any insight but my main question is it totally crazy to think it might be possible to take one undergraduate level class a seamster (16 weeks) during a one year PCR position?

Just typing is out feels insane but would be nice to move forward with nursing program prerequisites and I am no stranger to the work/university hustle. But yea, no idea what that looks like during service and knowing we are representing PC 24/7.

Thanks!!

Or alternatively, what did you try to accomplish and what were the snags?

Hi everyone! I was accepted to serve in Albania, leaving January! I am super duper excited. Do any current/past volunteers have any insight on what pst specifically in Albania is like? How many days a week did you train? What is the training location?

Also, in case we have any new Albania invitees: a few of us have a group chat going on Instagram! Comment here or dm me and I can get you added :)

Hey guys! I just received my invite today for a community development facilitator in Kosovo after applying in June. I’m super excited for this amazing opportunity and experience.

If any body has any insights they want to share I would really appreciate it! It’s great to meet you all!

Hi all!

Quick question — for PSLF verification, is the email address “certify@peacecorps.gov”?

I served twice about a decade ago and I put that address in for both, based on what I could find online. The system says the request for electronic signature was sent to them a week ago but they haven’t signed either yet.

Should I personally email that address as well to request they do so?

Howdy y'all, got the info for staging recently and I am trying to determine when I should stop my work and focus on packing, spending time with family and friends, and getting caught up on sleep before I depart for staging.

On one hand, I really want to be able to maximize my income this summer so I can have a juicy enough savings account for service so I can continue to funnel money into a Roth IRA, have an emergency fund, etc. I'm a recent college grad so I feel like taking advantage of summer wildfire work can be quite beneficial.

But also, spending time with family and friends is obviously important before I leave, and I also wanna make sure that I get plenty of rest and caught up on sleep before departure as I live on the opposite corner of the country from staging so I already have a long travel day ahead of me. Plus, with how bad fires have been this summer I haven't had a single day off from work since July 16th so maybe having extra time to sit in a bed might be good for my future self.

I do not feel like I have a ton to do or pack prior to departure but that's probably easier said now than in a few weeks. What do you all think? How much time off did you take before leaving for staging? Peace Corps suggests not engaging in any high-risk activities 2 weeks prior to departure fwiw. Thanks everyone.

I applied to serve where needed most and was assigned to Timor-Leste. I will COS in December. My experience has been beautiful, difficult, and beyond what I could have hoped. If you're considering Peace Corps service, consider applying to come to Timor! This year's app deadline is November 15.

Please feel free to DM with questions. And TL PCVs imi iha neebe, tau comment iha kraik eh!

I applied for the community development facilitator. The deadline is October so I’m hoping and praying I hear back before then (they said that might happen) and decisions are to be made by December. I do not have a bachelor’s degree sadly but I have some college education (had to leave due to family issues) and over 5 years of job experience. I’ve been a manager at a store, I’ve worked with kids as a camp coordinator and some other things. I’m really excited and hopeful about this.

Does anyone know what Moldova is like, if you have served there or are currently serving there please shoot me a PM :)) I’d love to know more

If anyone also has any tips about the application process PLEASE let me know :))

I’m putting all my eggs in this basket and think I’ve truly found my calling for right now in life.

I’ll hope to be updating soon about things.

Pretty much as the title suggests. I've been at site for several months now, and I'm getting more nervous with school starting up again. I came into PC without any real background in education, so the teaching part is already hard enough, but I also really struggle with the local language. As a result, I can't communicate well with my students who need it the most (i.e. the ones who know very little English). It's a very discouraging feeling and makes me dread getting back in the classroom. I know the obvious answer here is to work on the local language, but in all honesty my mental health isn't in the best spot, so it's hard to find the motivation and focus for language learning. Has anyone else been in this position and have some advice to offer? Any ideas or resources for activities that could help bridge the language gap would be so appreciated.

Putting this here in case anyone has questions about CoS'ing/field termination. I understand there's documents and blogs out there about ending service early, but if anyone has any questions about this, please feel free to ask here or DM me.

I'm a volunteer who was TEFL in Kosovo and left early because I got a PhD offer in Europe. It was an amicable split (partially because I told them a PhD was my end-goal even before service started) from PC and was able to complete my DoS form and stay in the country another month. I received the complete benefits - hiring eligibility, my RA up to the month I left, health insurance offer, Coverdell eligibility, etc. I left service about 8 months early.

Note that every situation and post is different. Just making myself available if anyone wants to talk!

Hello,

I graduated in May with a degree in urban planning, though much of my work revolved around academic and research roles adjacent to it (think IR, geography). I have been eyeing the Peace Corps, since I did study abroad in the past (UK and Taiwan) and I know they like having new grads on board. I also love the sense of adventure and learning I experienced living abroad and learning about different cultures

I've seen Community and Economic Development roles in both of these countries (and others like Albania) that mention things similar to what I've done, but other than the brief description onthe site the actual work I'd do doesn't seem clear cut. I'm applying as a PCV because I don't think I'm specialized enough for the specific roles, and I don't mind spending more time abroad.

I'm interested in either nation because they seem ripe for redevelopment work which is what I've focused on studying. I've tried reaching out to the PC about this question but they haven't gotten back to me since May lmao... Any thoughts?

Also, I struggled with mental health two years ago but I haven't had any problems since and have gotten much better. I still know clearing health requirements is make or break for many roles, but I hope it isn't disqualifying for these countries

I ETed from Peace Corps about three months into my service because I ultimately felt that the country/placement wasn’t the right match for me.
I’m considering applying to Peace Corps again in the future, potentially for a different country or region that I think would be a better fit. Has anyone here ETed voluntarily and later reapplied?
Were you accepted again? How much did your previous ET come up during the application/interview process? I’m wondering if ETing once significantly hurts my chances of being invited to serve again.

title says it. I wanted to leave in January but now I can't. I got rejected for YD in Albania.

Is it worth applying anywhere else?

I applied to the community development facilitaor role and just received my invite! 🥳🥳 Beyond excited to go through this experience.

Just like everyone else I would be happy to receive some insight on your work and how you like Kosovo. Also anyone else get an invite?

See yall at the end of Feb!

I've been accepted to serve in Nepal, but have had a slight change of heart. I still want to do Peace Corps, but feel like I've chosen the wrong country, I feel like going to Latin America will actually support the kind of work I want to do in the future. At this point I really don't know what to do. I don't really think that asking Reddit for help is useful, but here I am. Any advice? I've read similar stuff about people having cold feet and the gist of what I read is: just get in the plane, I don't think thats helpful.

Edit:

I should have mentioned that need Wi-Fi and electricity at least most of the time for online testing, and that I reaasonable access to a testing center - specifically, a Prometric testing center.

With regard to the kind of work I want to do in the future, I'll just say that placement in a Spanish-speaking country would give me a massive advantage toward the middle part of my career. I don't want to be too specific with details, but trust me on that.

I must emphasize: I don't mind the ups and downs that come with service. I could be serving in a very harsh environment with very bad conditions, but as long as I had access to a Prometric center and a mostly good internet connection solely for practicing, I wouldn't mind a bit.

Hello I am 24M and want to do peace corps. But I feel like while I want to do it and believe I can. At the same time I feel like I am lacking since I started my resume...

Ihere are some things about myself:

- I have the peace corps prep cert from my university

- I am in my last year of uni.

- I am on the rugby team.

- I have the peace corps prep cert.

- I love languages and have started Spanish and Czech.

- I finished elementary and beginner Japanese so far through school.

- for job experience I have just been trying to survive while studying so many odd jobs and part times.

- I volunteered in the past with local food banks and with habitats for humanity. But it was a few years ago so...

- I have studied abroad for 3 semesters altogether but 2 different countries (Czech Republic and Japan)

- I am a Gilman Scholar Alumni.

- University Studies Major (I study multiple things. I picked English and Anthropology)

- I am actively a part of my community and I actually try to communicate, befriend, and get to know the ppl around.

I have some skills in areas but I am a uni student without much experience. Would I be even considered? I am also stuck on the resume part because I feel like I don't have too much to put on there. My resumes are typically 1 page...

I just finished a frankly exhausting five years in university finishing at a masters at 21 working my way through and finishing with no debt. The whole time I fantasized about just getting on a plane and going someplace far away like Central Asia with literally no plan and just exploring and living with different people from workaway or something similar. I had an opportunity to do this one summer in Ecuador for 2 months and fell in love with doing it long term. But I also realized that this lifestyle requires money I didn't have and so found that PC could be good alternative since they pay for everything and I could still get some of the experience I wanted. So I applied for an position in Peru and got accepted.

But something else also happened in this time, I was able to get a job in my field after my bachelors and I made good money, feel in love with an amazing person and built strong friendships and have a wonderful home in way I haven’t ever experienced. But still in the end, I welcomed that fear of risking it all and I still think the “sacrifice” would be worth it. And I still want to just be young and free (as corny as I sound), i am a very experience oriented person and I feel like youth is fleeting, so I only want to make the most of it.

So… what’s the problem?
I think I may be starting to realize that peace corps can’t give me what I want. I haven’t even gone and I imagine it to be monotonous, suffocating and overbearing.
I have been yearning for a sense of freedom that I don’t think I’ll be able to find with PC.
I will say I don’t know anyone first hand who has done PC so I just am going off the website and other online entries.
And it just seems like a lot of paper work and bullshit questionnaires so far. And there’s seems like so many rules dictating your life all the time. As a separate issue I am not sure I really rock with the federal government or the underlying mission of the peace corps as a tool of soft power and I am really not looking forward to "swearing in".

But I don't know this is just a long rant, either way I have sold all my stuff and prepared everything and everyone for my departure, so I guess I am going. I am just saying this because I desperately want someone to tell me I am so off base with this but I really doubt I am. But maybe in practice its not so bad to live with and you still have good independence and I just need to shut up and color lol.

please please share any advice, personal experiences, perspectives and insights.

Edit: I should add I work in human services and would love to do something to serve people, I just hear that PC doesn't always have much impact so its not amoung my reasons for joining (but is still a plus if it happens), my real dream was to work in refugee resettlement but that funding is gone.

I made a little throwaway for this question and related topics but I've interacted with this sub before.

I am a late 20s single woman who is leaving for service in Sub-Suharan Africa in a few months. I've passed my clearances and have packing mostly sorted out.

One thing I have little insight on is how to handle sex during service as a single woman. I used the search and know this question has been asked before but I haven't seen many recent comments about this and not many responses by women.

I have found conflicting information about whether or not my country of service allows sex toys and I don't want to risk something that can get confiscated, fined, or worse.

I know celibacy is an option, but truthfully it isn't a realistic option for me. I know everyone is different and some people come in and connect with other volunteers, HCNs, International Development workers, or tourists. I'm open to all of those groups and have no specifc preference when it comes to gender. I know same sex relationships between women is not illegal in my country of service, but I know it's socially taboo and I wouldn't want to put any HCNs at risk of social stigma with my personal choices in that regard. I can figure out what dating apps are available when I'm there and just get a feel of the people and environment around me.

My worry is the stigma and general acceptance as a woman asking this question. I don't think this will go as smoothly for me as it would for a guy volunteer. I know discretion, protection, and communication are all pretty important regardless of who my sexual partner might be. Especially because I would be interested in something more casual. If a relationship happens I would be open to that but that isn't my goal. I have been abroad in cohorts of Americans in programs that are similar to Peace Corps and sometimes this topic is brushed off or deeply criticized within the group, especially if a woman is at the center of it.

From the HCN perspective, I am also worried since I am a black woman and may not get the same grace a visibly foreign volunteer would get in this situation. I also already get hypersexualized due to my body type and my appearance, even when I wear modest clothing, so I feel like if I admit to also wanting casual sex to certain people it could make my situation very different. Sure, I can stick to bigger cities, the capital, etc. but I also wonder how realistic that is. I don't really care about the rumors amongst volunteers, but in my community it could have serious consequences to the work I can do.

I'm curious how I should potentially think about this aspect of service and what I should consider about this? I assume PST might cover some of this and I know we get access to resources like contraceptives and condoms, so I'm not worried about that part. I'm pretty proactive with that. It's the other stuff I'd like some perspective on.

Thanks!